Man Utd bidder Sheikh Jassim is set to meet Real Madrid’s asking price for Federico Valverde this summer, according to reports.
The Red Devils are currently in the middle of a takeover process with Sheikh Jassim, the chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank and the son of a former Qatari prime minister, and INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe making the only public offers for the Premier League giants.
Man Utd set a deadline of April 28 for third bids for the purchase of the club with both Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe submitting offers in time.
However, with the Ratcliffe camp gaining confidence that their offer would be accepted, Sheikh Jassim sent a fourth bid directly to the Glazer family.
It is not yet known who the Glazers’ preferred bidder is as they sort through offers but various reports have indicated they already have their own ideas for potential transfers.
And Spanish publication Nacional claims that Sheikh Jassim is keen to see Man Utd ‘repeat the operation’ that brought Raphael Varane and Casemiro from Real Madrid to Old Trafford by signing Valverde.
The Uruguay international has been brilliant for Real Madrid over the last couple of seasons and Sheikh Jassim is prepared to offer a ‘blank cheque’ to get a move to Man Utd over the line.
Nacional add that Valverde would be rewarded with ‘a much higher salary’ and the Red Devils have ‘contacted’ his representatives to get him to ‘betray Madrid’.
It looks likely that Jude Bellingham will sign for Real Madrid in the summer transfer window after Liverpool pulled out of a potential deal to sign the Borussia Dortmund midfielder.
But the report claims that not even Bellingham would ‘pose a threat’ to Valverde’s position in the team if he chose to remain at the Bernabeu this summer.
Sheikh Jassim has made Valverde his ‘primary objective’ if he completes his Man Utd takeover with a potential deal for the 24-year-old reaching around €100m.
There are concerns that the takeover process could overshadow Erik ten Hag’s whole summer as he looks to build on a solid first season in charge of the club.
A report in the Independent today claims that the sale process ‘could yet go on months’ despite Man Utd bidders being ‘hopeful there will be an announcement regarding a preferred bidder by the close of the domestic season’.